Greetings,

I have always had no problems removing stems from the 5XX series Omegas as some just have a pin that is pressed in to release the stem.

I have an Omega with caliber 265 ( manual wind with the sub seconds). I need to get the case replated from electroplaters and I need to remove movement from the case .

I seen that there is a small screw near the stem which I suspect it to be what holds the stem. My question is;

do you unscrew this screw with stem pulled out in time setting position or doesn't matter
and
how many turns should I expect to unscrew before it is safe to remove it out.

Thanks in advance for any input,

 

If you unscrew it enough so that the stem will come out but the screw itself (and all the mechanisms behind it) won't come out of their intended slots then it won't matter whether the crown is pushed all the way in or in time setting mode.

Just try 2 turns and it should come out...

Lately I've had more luck with removing stems while pushed all the way in rather than in time setting mode.

 

The small screw near the winding stem is the detent screw. The winder should be pulled out into the hand set position, then the screw turned about 1 revolution counter clockwise. Pull on the stem, and if it comes out, fine. If it doesn’t, then turn the screw another 1/2 turn and try it again. You may also have 2 case screws and case clamps on the perimeter of the movement that will have to come out.

When re-inserting the stem, “coax” it back in gently, turning it as you insert it. When it is all the way in, turn the detent screw clockwise, until it stops turning. Pull the term back out into a set position, push it back in, and tighten the detent screw the rest of the way.

 

After 60 years of pursuing this craft, I heartily recommend the winder being in the set position. If you don’t do that, the shipper bar (often called the sliding lever) can come out of the groove cut into the setting pinion, and then you are in for a world of hurt, including a trip to a watchmaker. However, it’s your watch. Choose the method that makes the best sense to you.

 

I remove pretty much all stems in the winding position, and have no issues with doing so. Unless you are really rough or ham fisted, there's little chance of the yoke coming out of the sliding pinion.

To the OP - something no one has mentioned is that if you unscrew the setting lever screw by 1 or 1.5 turns, then use the screwdriver to press down on the screw (similar to how you press down on the button for the 55X series), that will often be enough to release the stem. If that doesn't release it, unscrew by another 1/2 turn and press again, and that will likely be enough.

Cheers, Al

 

Does anyone have a recommended set of inexpensive(ish) screw drivers that work well with vintage watches? I bought a bulk-lot of junk movements that I figured I'd play around with to learn a little more.

 

I have found Al's advice usefull in particular for the 30 caliber series: if you do not press on the setting lever screw with a screw driver, it can be hard to pull out the stem, or you may need to unscrew the screw too far - and that is the begining of the problems if you do not know what to do next!